Acrylic acid derivatives are widely used for (1) materials of water-absorbing polymers; (2) materials of acrylic resins as a substitute for inorganic glass for use in window materials for buildings and vehicles, coverings for lighting equipment, lantern signs, road signs, daily necessities, office supplies, crafts, windscreens of watches, and the like; and (3) acrylic resin coating materials. Among acrylic acid derivatives, fluorine-containing acrylic acid derivatives are useful as synthetic intermediates of pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics), synthetic intermediates for sheath materials of optical fibers, synthetic intermediates of coating materials, synthetic intermediates of semiconductor resist materials, and monomers of functional polymers.
Examples of known methods for producing an acrylic acid derivative include a method of producing an acrylic acid derivative by oxidizing isobutylene or propylene, and a method of producing an acrylic acid derivative using ethylene, propyne, or the like as a starting material using a transition metal catalyst.
Further, as examples of methods for producing a fluorine-containing acrylic acid derivative, Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a method of reacting a 2-fluoropropionic ester with a nitrogen-bromine-bond-containing brominating agent in the presence of a radical initiator, and Patent Document 2 discloses a process for converting a 3-halo-2-fluoropropionic acid derivative to a substituted 2-fluoroacrylic acid derivative in the presence of at least one kind of base and at least one kind of polymerization inhibitor. Patent Document 3 discloses a process for producing a compound represented by formula (1):
wherein R represents alkyl that may be substituted with one or more fluorine atoms, the process comprising step A of reacting a compound represented by formula (2):
wherein X represents a bromine atom or a chlorine atom with alcohol represented by formula (3):R—OH  (3)wherein R represents alkyl that may be substituted with one or more fluorine atoms, and carbon monoxide in the presence of a transition metal catalyst and a base to thereby obtain the compound represented by formula (1).